GMAT Writing Assessment

What's on the AWA section?

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The Analytical Writing Assessment section of the GMAT exam consists of one 30-minute writing task—Analysis of an Argument. It requires you to analyze the reasoning behind a given argument and write a critique of it. Your ability to think critically and to communicate your ideas through an essay in English is measured. The arguments on the test include topics of general interest related to business or various other subjects. Specific knowledge of the essay topic is not necessary; only your capacity to write analytically is assessed.

In this section, you will discuss how well-reasoned you find a given argument. To do so, you will analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. Before writing, you must take a few minutes to evaluate the argument and plan your response. Your ideas will need to be organized and fully developed. You will want to leave time to reread your response and make revisions, but remember you only have 30 minutes.

Your essay is evaluated by assessing the overall quality of your thinking and writing, including how well you: identify and analyze important features of the argument, organize, develop, and express your ideas, provide relevant supporting reasons and examples, and use standard written English. Specifically, the following reading skills will be tested: main idea, supporting idea, inference, application, logical structure, and style.

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Dr. Donnelly can teach you how to improve your score on the AWA section of the GMAT. This will significantly increase your chances of getting the required score to attend the business school of your choice.

Private GMAT lessons with Dr. Donnelly are available either online via Zoom or in person at his San Diego based-office or (depending upon the time of year) his Manhattan-based office.

Over the years, Dr. Donnelly has helped hundreds of students to improve their GMAT scores significantly and achieve their goal of getting accepted into a top-tier business program. We are confident that he can do the same for you.

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